


When We Meet

by Frooster



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, He has some plants that he takes care of, Hyunjin lives alone, I don't mention all of the boys, M/M, Meet-Cute, Minor Angst, Rated T for swearing, hyunjin thinks a lot, i'm not sure what else to tag, the other two ships are kind of background
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-03-29
Packaged: 2021-02-28 22:15:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,996
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384377
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frooster/pseuds/Frooster
Summary: Hyunjin is a romantic. He always has been, and that's why the idea of a soulmate appealed to him so much, but when the day comes for them to finally meet, he begins to worry that he won't be enough for his other half.Alternatively, a soulmate au where the first words your soulmate will say to you that day will appear on your wrist, and they'll change every day.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Han Jisung | Han, Hwang Hyunjin/Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 27
Kudos: 254





	When We Meet

**Author's Note:**

  * For [halfmoonjisung](https://archiveofourown.org/users/halfmoonjisung/gifts).



> This was inspired by a drabble project I did on twitter, and I'm also doubling it as a late birthday present for Elle! Sorry it's a month late :(

Hyunjin was what people would think of as romantic. He lived in a world that had soulmates and ever since Hyunjin had known what soulmates were, he had hoped to meet his. He had been waiting every day for the mark to show up. It never did. 

Logically, that just meant it wasn’t time for him to meet his soulmate yet, but when his friends had found their soulmates by the first year of university, and they were living in their happy bliss, he couldn’t help but feel a little desperate for his mark to appear. 

Every morning when he woke up, the first thing he did is check the inside of his wrist. In the 18 years that he had known about soulmates, those first words had never appeared to him. He remembered the way he had screamed when Chan had shown him the big loopy scrawl on his wrist two years ago. He felt he was more excited than Chan was for meeting his soulmate than the boy was himself. 

When Chan had met Jisung, Hyunjin remembered the way the older boy had just stared at the other boy. Jisung had greeted them by sliding into the empty seat across from Hyunjin and declaring: “I am going to sit here because I saw  _ you--”  _ he pointed at Chan, and flashed the other boy a large toothy grin-- “and thought you were hot.” The two boys stopped their conversation almost immediately and Hyunjin reached for Chan’s wrist. Pulling the boy’s sleeve back, he stared at the words scrawled across Chan’s wrist:  _ I am going to sit here because I saw you and thought you were hot. _

“Well,” Chan began, as if in a daze, “welcome to our table.” Hyunjin watched as the mark began to glow, a brilliant orange as the pair said their first words to each other. It was… It was absolutely beautiful to watch, and he almost felt like he was watching something private as Jisung had realized what Chan had said. 

“Oh my god,” the other had whispered. “You mean… you’re mine?” Chan had nodded, reaching across the table to shake his soulmate’s hand. 

“I’m Chan,” he said. 

“Jisung,” the other replied, and when Chan let go of his hand, Jisung quickly moved to the other side of the table to sit next to the boy. 

“I can’t believe it,” he had whispered, and Hyunjin agreed. How lucky were to find their soulmates so early in life? “I get to wake up to  _ that  _ face every morning?” Jisung breathed and Hyunjin quickly realized that… yes… the two boys were probably perfect for each other. Chan blushed and ducked his head down, and Jisung loudly protested, pinching Chan’s cheek until the other looked at him again. 

“I’m stuck with you for the rest of my life, aren’t I?” Chan asked once he had recovered from his embarrassment.

“Oh baby, you better believe it!” Jisung had replied and sure enough, two years later, the two were still in the blissfully happy honeymoon phase. 

He smiled as he thought about his friends, pulling his arm out from under his blanket to check for any mark. While he wasn’t expecting anything, he couldn’t help the thrill of hope that ran through him every morning before he saw his bare wrist. 

Already dreading the worst, he didn’t comprehend the small writing on his wrist at first. He blinked, rubbed his eyes again, and even pinched himself to make sure it wasn’t a dream. But there is was:  _ Soulmates, am I right?  _

_ Jisung didn’t stay over last night, did he? It could be his handwriting.  _ Hyunjin reasoned as he stumbled out of bed, his eyes still focussed on the mark on his wrist. He made his way to the bathroom, blindly moving through the hallway as he stared at the mark. He turned the water on and ran it over his wrist, scrubbing at the mark until his skin turned red. It didn’t smear. 

_ The mark didn’t smear.  _ Hyunjin looked at the mark, looked up at his own shocked face in the mirror, then back down to his wrist.  _ It’s real.  _ He carefully ran his fingers over the words, marveling at how delicate the letters were. 

_ Could my soulmate be a girl?  _ He thought.  _ I don’t think I’ve ever met a boy with handwriting that pretty.  _ He shook his thoughts away. Regardless of who his soulmate was, after today he wouldn’t have to wonder. He wouldn’t have to imagine who would come through the door to his apartment with take-out food for date night anymore. He wouldn’t have to be the sad third wheel whenever he went out with Chan and Jisung. He would have his person by the end of the day. 

_ When we meet, I wonder if I’ll be taller than them?  _ He moved back to his room, getting dressed in a daze, not really paying attention to what he was putting on. Were those jeans a day old or a week old? It didn’t matter. 

… Maybe it  _ should  _ have mattered, but Hyunjin couldn’t stop thinking about his soulmate.  _ I wonder what prompts them to talk about soulmates. Maybe another pair will meet right before we will? _

Then, as he was brushing his teeth (he wasn’t sure when he got back to the bathroom, but he had), he had a terrifying thought.  _ What if they don’t want a soulmate?  _

Hyunjin was quick to shake that idea from his mind. He had heard stories of people who rejected their soulmates, or of sick people who had done terrible things to the person they were fated for, but Hyunjin believed in the system. Each pair was made for a reason. Even the sad stories had a reason they were there. He just had to trust that whatever happened, whoever his soulmate was, they would love him as much as he would love them. 

As he went to his kitchen to make breakfast, he was greeted with the sounds of the city, and he realized he had left his window in front of the sink open last night. He moved to close it, but before he got the window entirely closed, he ran his fingers over the plants he had put in a planter outside the window. While they didn’t get the most sun because of the building right next to his, he still did his best to keep the little plants happy. 

Closing the window, he poured himself a bowl of cereal, adding the milk and grabbing a water bottle from his fridge. He sat at the counter by himself as he ate, scrolling through his Twitter feed as he caught up with what was going on today. 

After tweeting his own ominous message (Today.), he stood and put his bowl in the sink. He would wash it later, but he had to get to his first lesson of the day, and he knew he wouldn’t have time to deal with the traffic, make it to the coffee shop for his and Chan’s daily dose of caffeine, and make it to class in time. 

Ignoring the vibrations from his phone (likely notifications from his friends wondering what “Today” meant), Hyunjin gathered his things for the day. He wouldn’t have time to come back to his apartment today until dinner time, so he made sure to grab enough money to go out for lunch. He double-checked that he had both his phone and computer charger, his keys, and his journal for his English class. He shoved everything into his bag, then stepped into the hallway, making sure the door was locked behind him. 

_ I wonder if we’ll ever live together?  _ He thought, staring at the crooked number on his door. He thought it gave the place charm. And he  _ definitely  _ didn’t think that because he was too broke to afford the screws to fix it. 

As he moved down the hallway, his thoughts kept drifting back to his soulmate. While this was a normal occurrence, it was happening a lot more often than he was used to, and he knew if Jisung or Chan saw him, they would definitely be concerned.  _ Do they take the bus too?  _ He wondered as he stepped out of the elevator.  _ I wonder if they’re a morning person, or if they’re a night owl. I don’t really know which one I am… Maybe an afternoon type of guy? I wonder if they like the afternoon.  _

He smiled at the girl who was waiting at the bus stop. They met there every morning, never exchanging more than an amicable smile as they waited for their respective busses to arrive. 

_ What if she’s my soulmate? What if I’ve known her this whole time and we’ve just never spoken before?  _ Right as he was about to muster the courage to say something to her, the bus pulled up and she stood, waving to him as she clambered onto it. 

_ Silly, Hyunjin,  _ he thought to himself. He leaned back on the bench and chuckled to himself as he waited for his own bus.  _ Just wait, you’ll meet them soon.  _

Hyunjin’s bus arrived a few minutes later, and he quickly climbed on, greeting the driver and finding an empty seat in the back of the bus. As he shifted his back to his lap, he drew the attention of a boy who looked to be about his age across from him.  _ Is he… _

“You look nervous,” the boy said in lieu of a greeting, and Hyunjin wasn’t sure why he felt such relief at hearing the words that weren’t on his wrist.

“Is it that obvious?” He asked, masking his panic with a chuckle. The boy hummed in response, and Hyunjin felt the need to just tell him everything that was running through his head. “I-I’m supposed to meet my soulmate today.” He confessed, and the boy’s eyes widened. 

He sat forward, looking at Hyunjin’s covered wrist with a fascinated gleam in his eyes. “Really? Then why are you so nervous? Isn’t this something you should be excited about?” 

“That’s the thing,” Hyunjin sighed. “I’ve been looking forward to this day ever since I knew soulmates were a thing, and now I”m just terrified that I’m not going to be--well-- _ good  _ enough for them.

“I’ve built this idea of a soulmate in my head and--don’t look at me like that it’s a perfectly acceptable thing to do--I’m just…” Hyunjin trailed off. He hadn’t really meant to snap at the stranger when they raised their eyebrows at him like that but he just felt  _ judged.  _ Surely he wasn’t the only one who imagined what his perfect other half would be like, right? 

“You’re scared they did the same thing you did, and that you won’t measure up to the picture in their head, right?” the boy asked. Hyunjin nodded, not quite understanding how he had understood Hyunjin’s fears immediately, but as the boy sat back in his chair again, Hyunjin found himself leaning forward to hear what the boy had to say. 

“When I met my soulmate, I was terrified,” he started. “I was 15 at the time, and I had braces, acne, I was short… you know, the very definition of a sad teen before puberty.” Hyunjin did his best not to snicker at the boy’s dry delivery, and the other smiled at Hyunjin’s attempt (and failure). “I had these words on my wrist. They were so generic, I was afraid I’d miss them. After all, I had heard ‘heads up, shortie,’ so many times in my life, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to tell who had said them.

“Then I got to track that day, and the upperclassmen were working with us that day. There was this one boy--I had the  _ biggest  _ crush on him, but I didn’t even know his name--and we got put on the same team. I sucked at dodgeball, but the coach was all for everyone participating, so when he shouted ‘heads up, shortie,’ me and my scared teenager brain decided the proper response was ‘I’ll get your damn balls!’ Because that’s the only reason kids shouted at me during that game: I was near a ball they wanted. 

“It didn’t register that I had heard the words on my wrist until we were changing and that upperclassman came up to me and asked if I had words on my wrist. When I showed him, he had grinned and introduced himself. Do you get what I’m saying here?” The boy seemed to drift out of his memories and smiled at Hyunjin again. 

“If I can threaten my soulmate that I’ll get his ‘damn balls’ and he can smile at me and introduce himself as if nothing happened earlier, then you can face whoever your soulmate is. I’m still happy with my soulmate, and I obviously grew out of my ugly phase, so if my soulmate could deal with me then, then I’m sure yours will appreciate you.

“Don’t worry too much about the image they have of you, because in the end, you’ll be better than anything they were expecting. That’s how it ended up being for me and Seungmin, and I’m sure that’s how it’ll be for you too.” As the bus eased to a stop, the boy smiled, standing up. 

“This is my stop. Good luck with your soulmate.” 

“Wait! Thank you…”

“Jeongin,” the boy filled in, and Hyunjin smiled at him.

“I’m Hyunjin. Thank you for your words. They really helped me.”

“Not a problem Hyunjin,” Jeongin replied. “I take this bus every day if you’re ever looking for more advice.” He grinned at Hyunjin, and Hyunjin muffled his laughter as Jeongin made his way off of the bus. 

He finished the rest of his ride to the coffee shop in silence, enjoying the dull chatter around him. As he stepped off the bus, he ended up falling in step with a blonde boy who was a few steps in front of him. They both turned to the coffee shop, and Hyunjin moved forward to hold the door open for the other when he realized they were going to the same place. 

The boy had earbuds in, but he smiled at Hyunjin in gratitude, and Hyunjin felt his breath rush out of him at the sight of the boy. He had a smatter of freckles across a small nose, and his eyes were so expressive, Hyunjin could see the unspoken “thank you” in them. In short, he was beautiful. 

Hyunjin stepped into the coffee shop, letting the atmosphere wash over him. He breathed in the heady coffee aroma and allowed the peaceful hum of customers to soothe him even more. But before he could step into line to order his drinks, a couple in the corner pierced through the calm with their argument. 

“I don’t  _ care  _ if my breath stinks, you should be saying you love me first thing in the morning! Now I have ‘Did something die in your mouth?’ on my wrist all day! What am I supposed to say when I meet my sister later today?” The woman said, and Hyunjin didn’t think she was aware of how loud her voice was. 

Her soulmate was doing his best to soothe her, but after that accusation, he flared up, replying: “I don’t think there’s anything very romantic about ‘Well fuck you too!’ being written in your god-awful handwriting on my wrist, but that’s what I have to deal with today, too.” 

The woman went silent for a minute, just staring at her soulmate, and Hyunjin was worried for a second that she was going to throw herself across the table to attack him. Instead, she reached her hand out, grabbing his wrist and turning it over, running her fingers over the words etched into his wrist for the day. 

“We’re not good at this yet,” she said, and Hyunjin heard the boy next to him snort. 

“Soulmates, am I right?” he asked, turning to look up at the taller boy. Hyunjin felt his stomach drop when he met eyes with the boy, and those four words bounced around in his head over and over. His wrist started to tingle as the boy continued to talk. “Fighting one second, then making up the next. It’s like they have their very own couples counselor in their head.”

“Don’t--don’t you want something like that?” Hyunjin heard himself ask.  _ This is him. This is the person I’ve been waiting for. Please don’t break my heart.  _ He hadn’t meant to ask the last part, even to himself, but as he waited for the boy’s response, that’s the only thing he  _ could  _ think. 

The boy threw his head back and laughed, and it was one of the sweetest things Hyunjin had heard. “God, more than anything,” he replied. “I want it all. The fighting, the making up, making out, date nights, being able to have someone who I can trust forever…” the boy trailed off, a soft smiling crossing his face as he touched the inside of his wrist.  _ He must not have realized those were my words.  _ Hyunjin thought, then as the boy stepped forward to get into line, Hyunjin realized it had to be now. 

_ This is it. This is the moment you’ve been waiting for.  _ Hyunjin thought to himself, fiddling with the sleeve of his jacket. “Well,” he began, and as he pulled his jacket sleeve up, revealing the glowing mark on his wrist, he saw the boy’s eyes widen. “My name is Hyunjin.” He said, “It’s nice to finally meet you, soulmate.” 

His soulmate pulled his own sleeve up, staring at he glowing mark on his own wrist, before grinning at Hyunjin. Hyunjin found himself matching the grin, as the door opened behind them. 

“Please,” he said, extending his hand, and Hyunjin was quick to lace their fingers together as they stepped into the line to order their drinks. “Call me Felix.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Wow! So hyunlixers, can I get a bit of redemption for my last fic now? This was written on a whim, and I honestly didn't think I would get to finish it today, but here it is, done! I hope you all enjoyed it! If you want to keep updated with my writing (not that I really... talk about my writing but sometimes I do!) then you can follow my [twt](https://twitter.com/2minlix)! 
> 
> Comments and kudos are always appreciated, or you could leave me something on my [cc](https://tcuriouscat.me/2minIix) if you want! Thank you again for reading, I'll see you next time :D


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